Bootcamp for the mind & soul

I’m in New York this week and the day after my arrival from London, and fighting jetlag, I had a choice to make. Do I go out and run my scheduled half marathon which is part of my Athens marathon training plan, or do I put it off and get my Sex and the City on?

It was a beautiful, sunny day and my inclination was to grab my book and head to a rooftop bar and enjoy a lazy afternoon of reading in the sunshine. I nearly successfully talked myself out of honouring my training program until I flipped open my book and read a quote which said: Procrastination is our favourite form of self-sabotage.

I took it as a sign and dragged myself out for a two-hour run around Central Park, and in the end, after a hot and sweaty run, I was grateful I had forced myself to get out there and respect my training plan.

Why am I telling you this? Well, because I have a real aversion to inauthenticity and I am very aware of the fact that those of us in the personal development industry can come off like we have all the answers and solutions and, we can portray an image that we don’t face any mind-set challenges, when in reality we do.

In today’s society we are inundated with social media selling perfect lives and perfect faces, and moreover we are bombarded with sales and marketing messages disguised as personal development with statements such as:

“In just 30 days you can change your life/mind-set/fill in the blanks!”

“I made 6 figures in one month by changing my mindset and you can too!”

“Think positive and the universe will reward you!”

“Are you interested in a life changing opportunity?”

“Get instant results with this XYZ”

I see the airbrushed social media posts and messages like the above and my instant reaction is “Yuck”!The inauthenticity repulses me.So, in the interest of full authenticity I wanted to share this with you: I am a mind-set coach, yet from time to time I too struggle with mind-set challenges. Sometimes I wake up tired, or lazy or on the wrong side of the bed and if that is the case, then I have to actively fight off procrastination and self-sabotaging to change my own mind-set.

I don’t imagine anyone, not even mind-set coaches, wake up feeling positive and motivated 24 hours a day. I believe mind-set training takes continuous and daily practice and focus, and individuals who suggest otherwise are hocking snake oil.

My lesson?The thing to remember is that we are all human beings and just because some of us have studied and trained in personal development does not mean that we do not stumble, fall, and need to kick ourselves in the ass sometimes.

Some of us may be further along the road than others, and some of us may be further behind, but at the end of the day, it’s important to remember that we are all on the same road.